New Site For Green Earth Equities

WOW Package

Motivated Buyers

Given economic realities, not everyone’s as excited about investing money to saving energy as they should be.  The WOW Package is designed to be the “spoonful of sugar that makes the medicine go down.”

From the moment potential buyers drive into up, GEE homes start selling themselves.  Wow is what they experience seeing the attention to such exquisite  detail, from new stucco, roofs and windows to gorgeous kitchens, baths and interior trim… Once completed, this along with the Energy and Done Packages make excellent selling point in person or in advertising.

 

GEE’s WOW Package

• New Real Wood Cabinets throughout in Kitchen and both baths
• Matching Granite Counters in Kitchen and both baths
• New Hood Fan Microwave
• New Gas Stove and Oven
• New Dishwasher
• New Disposal
• New Deep Stainless Steel Sink with premium faucet and spray
• Tile Floors in Kitchen and Baths with Custom Tile showers
• Designer 2 and three tone painted interior
• Crown molding and stepped door Trim
• Designer 3 tone paint exterior with New Dash over sculptured trim
• All ceilings have been replaced with new texture and paint
• New Stucco and Dash Coat for Brand New Look

H

Hamburger, It’s Essential When Feeding A Dog A Pill And…

Have you ever tried to feed a dog a pill, a pill that was going to be good for him?   It was a really good pill, I knew that, but he wouldn’t believe it, and was ready to do me bodliy harm to maintain his position.  Until I brought out the secret weapon.  Hamburger.   I even let him watch me put the pill in the hamburger, then he munched it right down, pill and all.

For the last 30 years, I have made my living persuading customers that my energy conservation pills would be good for them.   I’ve had varying levels of success.   Most dogs didn’t want the pill at all.  Some decided they’d try half a pill.   Rarely have I had a customer who said, “Give me the whole menu!”   Of course the whole menu would have been good for them.  And it is exactly what our country needs if we want to be able to stop buying oil from people who bear us ill will.

So when I semi-retired and started the Energy-Wise House Flipping Adventure called GreenEarthEquities, I knew needed Hamburger.     I knew that if I wanted to sell my houses full of energy saving features, and achieve my neighborhood building and planet saving goals, I would need the best hamburger available.   Hamburger, like granite counter tops and crown molding which my buyers can see.   So they’ll buy the energy features that they cant see.

We include our Energy Package in every project.   It’s the pill.   New HVAC system, new engineered and sealed ductwork, lots of additional insulation, shell sealing top and bottom, new Lo E2 windows, new ventilation system, photo cells and motion sensors etc.   It’s about $20,000 worth but none of it can be seen (except the windows).   So we’ve developed the other two packages that are all about being seen.  They are the hamburger.

The Wow Package is the granite counter tops, deep sinks, the crown molding and chair rails, ceiling fans in every room, designer paint inside and out, (bolder than you would expect) custom tile at showers and floors, brand new kitchen cabinets and appliances.   And some pretty nice staging if we get that far before selling the project.

The Done Package includes landscaping front and rear, new garage door and openers, new 2 inch faux wood blinds, all new lighting, switches and plugs, all appliances are new with warrantees.  It’s just all Done.

That’s a lot of Hamburger!  The big question was, “Will the market allow that much expense?  Aren’t you in danger of over improving the neighborhood?  Wont you price yourself out of the market?”   All good questions, but here is what we found:   The realtors report back that their clients are blown away by the packages, they just dont see anything like it in the market.  Many buyers just dont want a 4o year old foreclosed REO property, or even 40 years of deferred maintence of a non REO property, no matter how well-loved it was.    The buyers love the Wow Package and the Done Package.   They just “like” the idea of the Energy Package.  They dont understand all the details, and dont know how much it cost, but they know it’s an idea who’s time has come and because it’s wrapped in those other hamburger packages that they love, they go ahead and offer on the property.

But will the projects make appraisal?   That would be the next question, wouldn’t it?   Happily, the first two have indeed appraised at or above the sale price.   The good news about that is that these houses now provide comps for future sales.    Since all our homes are in a tight little radius, we are creating our own comps.   What a country!

So with the Hamburger approach everyone wins.   I get to do my part to save the planet, one house at a time.  I also get to be a neighborhood builder.  So the neighborhood wins.   A lot of people have jobs and that’s a win these days.   My Realtor wins.  She works hard but I’m really a pretty easy client, and one she didn’t have before we started this adventure.   And the new homeowners win.   They get to spend time with their family and friends instead of working on a long list of the projects they see on HGTV.   Our country wins because these projects dont need any bail out money or grants, so there’s more left for other more difficult projects.   So it’s all good.   I wish more investors in neighborhoods all over this country  would become Energy-Wise Renovators and do the same thing.   Maybe if you tell them about this blog, some of them will.

 

Additional WOW Factor information

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120515 Assembling Your “A-Team”

Assembling Your "A-Team" Residential Flipping and Leasing Tonight we will talk about team building.   Building the team to find, buy, renovate and rent or sell the finished products. As you know, I now live 3,000 miles away from most of the work that GreenEarthEquities has done and is continuing to do. So the only way I could possibly do this is with a great team. Even with my new operation in Virginia, all of the work has been done by the great team I have been blessed to find. We've had a lot of questions like, "How do you find a good contractor that...Continue Reading!

120508 What Would You Do?

What Would You Do? 13 Cedar Round Hill VA The plans have changed on our Virginia Test House. Due to budgeting issues the house has been moved over to be a research project of NREL. The 1700 square foot, two story house is finished with a very tight envelope... but has been waiting for a decision about HVAC to move ahead.  NREL will be doing the monitoring of this home, similarly to the Fresno Test House. Their research will primarily focus on humidity, which will be measured in many locations under all types of simulated loads and times of the year. It...Continue Reading!

120501 ACI National & Sacramento Conferences

Affordable Comfort Institute National & Sacramento Conferences Tonight will be all about ACI... Affordable Comfort Institute. We'll focus on 3 areas: Summary of the National Conference in Baltimore Preview of the California Conference in Sacramento   (Including hints on receiving one of the Scholarships being offered).  The published agenda & list of exhibitors. Preview of next year's National Conference in the Mile High City... Denver. Amy Fazio, Executive Director of ACI will bring a "behind the scenes" perspective on this organization that has grown to be the center of our (Home Performance) industry. Nate Natale,  Program Development Manager for ACI will also join us with his perspective on...Continue Reading!

Get in the Game: Wholesaler Interview on Buy and Hold

Get in the Real Estate Game Wholesaler Interview on Buy and Hold Greetings PlanetSavers, Last week Ron Roberts shared his testimony about putting together enough passive income to enjoy his retirement and doing it all with foreclosure renovation in the last 3 years.  If you missed it, check it out in the archives.  Several people commented that they were inspired to get out there and get going! Tonight we will follow up with more motivation to "Get in the Game" as I interview Sam Okenyi.   Sam is the wholesaler that we purchased our Norris avenue property through.  He has some clear observations about  the...Continue Reading!

120417 Foreclosure Investing Planning & Preparation

Foreclosure Investing Planning and Preparation Greetings PlanetSavers, Tonight we have a Foreclosure Renovating Expert who has "Been There & Done That." Ron Roberts and I have worked together for many years in various capacities and then 3 years ago I got inspired about the opportunity presented by the Foreclosure Mess. Ron was one of the first people I shared my excitement with and he took off running full speed with the goal of building a retirement income from his foreclosure renovation investments. In three short years, he's met his objectives.   He's completed about the same number of projects that I have (15) and has...Continue Reading!

120410 Energy Modeling Isn’t Very Accurate

Energy Modeling Isn't Very Accurate By Martin Holladay Tonight we will consider Martin Holladay's recent post in Green Building Advisor,  ENERGY MODELING ISN'T VERY ACCURATE.  Martin's blogging is one of the few "must read" sources of Home Performance information available, so I was glad to see him take on this topic.   His column is called the "Musings of an Energy Nerd" so you know he's proud of his numbers and "Calls 'em as he see's 'em." The inaccuracy of modeling programs along with the steep learning curve for most of them have caused me to question their place in our industry ever since...Continue Reading!

4382 N. Cleo Fresno CA 93722

Download PDF Version View Property PhotosContinue Reading!

120403 Greater ROI with HomePath Financing

Greater ROI HomePath Financing Tonight we'll have two guests sharing about one of the most exciting financing & investment combinations on the market today. Jennifer Martin, our Real Estate Broker and Gene O'Brien, our Loan Broker will be talking about Leveraged Investment in Foreclosures using the Fannie Mae program called HomePath. Check it out at HomePath.com to get a head start on the Webinar. Requiring only 10% down, The HomePath mortgage allows investors to get in the game with less capital than with conventional financing. Tune in to hear why investors are flocking to this program. What are its limitations and where does it shine? And...Continue Reading!

What Would You Say If…..

(If You Had 30 Seconds To Address Our Industry?)  That’s what I had when accepting the Tony Woods Award at the recent Affordable Comfort Conference in Baltimore.   Actually there was no time scheduled but Larry Zarcher’s a nice guy, so he bent the schedule … “OK, but no more than 30 seconds.” The audience was a thousand of the most influential folks in the Home Performance Industry. Having an opinion or two, and since spontaneity is not a problem for me, I was happy to have the opportunity. So I said, “Just imagine that everyone in here were to go out and...Continue Reading!

Dave Robinson Wins Award

Dave Robinson Wins Award 2012 BPI Tony Woods Award Winner Dave Robinson of GreenEarthEquities Receives BPI's 2012 Tony Woods Award for Excellence in Advancing the Home Performance Industry.  The award recognizes the individual who has most advanced the home performance industry over the past year. Baltimore, Maryland, March 29, 2012 -The Building Performance Institute, Inc. (BPI), the nation's premier standards development and contractor credentialing organization for residential energy efficiency retrofit work, yesterday honored Dave Robinson of GreenEarthEquities by naming him the 2012 recipient of the Tony Woods Award for Excellence in Advancing the Home Performance Industry in the Opening Plenary ceremony of the...Continue Reading!